Kyrgyzstan
The mountains, including the Tian Shan Mountains (pictured), give Kyrgyzstan a unique
culture, partially formed from this isolation from the mountains.
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Social Life in Turkmenistan

Behavior

According to Islamic dietary restrictions pork should not be consumed and alcohol
is forbidden (see our Turkmenistan Dining
& Food Page). In Turkmenistan the restriction
on pork is closely adhered to, but partially due to convenience as lamb, chicken,
and even beef are more common. For the locals, alcohol is now a part of the daily
life as the Soviets introduced numerous drinks to the people and today it forms
a part of the culture. Again, only the strictest Muslims refrain from drinking alcohol.

To a degree the people also maintain the Soviet mentality as they rarely get involved
in other people's personal affairs and tend to keep to themselves when in public.
Due to this attitude, the people take offense at few things. Although everyone will
notice odd behaviors and cultural abnormalities, rarely will anyone point out your
cultural mistakes.

Additionally, avoid sensitive conversation topics, such as politics, finances, religion,
and business unless initiated by your local counterpart. Also try to avoid being
loud, rude, showing off wealth, or getting noticeably drunk in public.

The traditional dress is still alive in Turkmenistan, in part because of former
President Saparmurat Niyazov, who re-introduced numerous historic cultural elements
to the people since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. This dress,
which can still be seen in many towns and at traditional events, includes a long
dress for women, simple white shirts for men and the famous telpek hat
for men. This dress for women tends to be loose-fitting, typically in red, with
a great amount of ornamentation on the front, including stones, beads, and other
decorational items. The men tend to wear simpler outfits, which are long robe-like
clothes, but their tall black sheepskin hats make them unmistakably Turkmen.

Today much of this traditional dress thrives, but some not so traditional, or newly
traditional items have been added to the dress and appearance of the people. The
local men must not wear beards or have long hair and today most men wear western
clothing, but still wear the telpek. Likewise, women also have dress "recommendations,"
especially girls, who should wear braided hair and a traditional Turkmen hat. These
rules came from President Niyazov's ideas of what an ideal Turkmen should look
like.

Fortunately, foreigners don't have to wear these traditional items and the people
are friendly enough to use this differentiation in dress to welcome foreigners to
their country. Because of this, and few conservative Muslims,
Turkmenistan has few dress restrictions for the tourist. Although shorts
and short-sleeved shirts are not common in Turkmenistan,
there is no cultural or religious reason for this so wearing shorts and short-sleeved
shirts is acceptable, although you may get some strange looks. Only the most devout
Muslim women cover their hair for religious purposes and this is a rarity in Turkmenistan
today.